SCOWL

Abrasive, angsty and tuneful, Scowl are bringing an explosion of colour to punk rock in 2024

WORDS: DANNII LEIVERS • PICTURES: ALICE BAXLEY

PRESS/ALEX BAXLEY

Kat Moss stands in the middle of the hurricane, surveying her kingdom. It’s Manchester, June 2023, and her band, Scowl, are playing an early afternoon set at Outbreak Festival in front of thousands of people… and it’s all kicked off. Dressed in white, knee-high go-go boots, with her green hair and eyebrows glowing neon under the UV lights, she watches as crowd members flood the stage, cartwheeling past her and diving into the void. Sweat drips. The crowd bellow every word. In a chaotic 30-minute set, the Californian band prove exactly why they’re the most exciting new band in hardcore.

“We’d had a red-eye flight, got in a little late,” says Kat, recalling the gig today, via Zoom. “We all played that set off no sleep. I know my voice wasn’t the strongest. It was one of those sets where I had to suck in tears 10 minutes before I got onstage. But we went on, and everything clicked. I remember getting offstage and just being like, ‘I feel like fucking Dave Grohl right now. I feel like a rock star.’”

Things have been moving quickly for Scowl. Hailing from the same vibrant, buzzy Californian hardcore scene as Drain, Zulu and Militarie Gun, their sound is equal parts blistering and sun-kissed, segueing in the blink of an eye from ferocious punk to classic hardcore and 90s-inspired melodies. They are part of a new wave of hardcore bands, spearheaded by Baltimore’s Turnstile and Kentucky’s Knocked Loose, who are challenging the genre’s traditional sonic boundaries and taking it closer to the mainstream than ever before.